Welcome to Burger Chains Power Hour. In honor of Eater Burger Week 2015, we’re taking a bite out of the ultimate American comfort food. From homegrown and regional favorites to the national heavyweights, these are the burger chains in San Diego (and their go-to burgers) that are worth lining up for. (Not including the classic and ever-popular In-N-Out.) Note: burgers are not ranked.

This time of year minds turn to sitting outdoors, frozen drinks and boozy fun. So it's fantastic when all three things come together in one place. We're always a fan of boozy slushies and other frozen drinks, but spiked shakes and beer floats deserve their own special category. Because there's nothing better than dessert that gets you buzzed. Here are four to try around town now.

Some people say the “bacon craze” should have jumped the shark a while ago, but those people 1) are idiots, 2) ARE IDIOTS, or 3) IDDDDIOTTTTTTS. Since you're clearly not, though, you get this: the 13 best bacon dishes in LA.

Now here’s an idea whose time should have come a long time ago. At Slater’s 50/50 in Rancho Cucamonga, you can get high quality Brandt beef from the San Diego area, which is both hormone and antibiotic free, blended with bacon made from double hickory smoked center cut pork belly. When combined, it makes for a denser burger whose color will not determine the actual degree of doneness. The doneness level is solely predicated by the time spent on the grill, since the beef/bacon blend doesn’t give the same color profile during the heating process. It’s genius.

The weekend has finally arrived! From live music to early Cinco de Mayo festivities, there is so much going on around San Diego.

The raging popularity of jams and jellies in savory applications won’t come as a surprise to trend watchers. Jam was named by Datassential as the second fastest-growing sandwich condiment last year, muscled out of the top spot only by super-hot Sriracha. The reality, however, is that chain chefs have long favored jams and jellies as condiments and sauces, as witness the jalapeño jelly at Chevys, the onion marmalade at La Madeleine and the red currant jelly at Rock Bottom Brewery, all of which appeared on menus in the 1990s. This current craze represents the latest iteration of a long-running trend at both chains and independent operations.

A crop of new restaurants that debuted in the last year have acknowledged the appeal of a classic: the sandwich. Here are seven that you need to know from all around San Diego.

“Get Happy” during the annual Old Pasadena Happy Hour Week from Sunday, March 1, through Saturday, March 14, at participating restaurants, bars, and lounges. Enjoy extended Happy Hour food and drink promotions every day of the week. Enjoy special tastings, flights, and food pairings at your favorite bars, or discover something new with our recommended itineraries and crawls.

Just like many of their customers, the once-humble sports bar/restaurant is poised to graduate into a more complex, mature and global marketplace. Here we have additional coverage from the feature article in our Feb 2015 issue.

Everything from vintage cocktails to classic cars from earlier generations is hot once more. For Baby Boomers, there’s an element of nostalgia in retro styles and products, while Millennials’ attraction is more about discovery. Retro foods have also been sweeping menus across the U.S., and they’re no less popular. Essentially comfort foods with a hipster edge, familiar dishes have been reinterpreted, often with a wink and a bit of fun as chefs give them an updated twist.

If there’s one thing that America proves time and time again, it’s that there will always be a market for the wacky antics of cartoon sponges. But if it proves two things, the other one is that bacon is the best, most versatile food ever. We’ve got more of it here than most countries could ever dream of (and dream they do), and it’s one of the few foods that can survive being labeled “trendy.” Because bacon transcends trendiness. It is America’s culinary mascot.

A burger that combines the two greatest foods ever known to man, pizza and burgers, is back again this year through the end of the month at Slater's 50/50 in Southern California. That's right: pizza and a cheeseburger on a bun from the people that brought you the 50% ground bacon, 50% ground beef burger.